


Zootopia: Sky Partners

by VariableMammal



Series: Zootopia: Partners [19]
Category: Zootopia (2016)
Genre: Crossover, F/M, Non-Graphic Violence, Team Up
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-05-07
Updated: 2016-05-07
Packaged: 2018-06-06 20:31:51
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,740
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6768889
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/VariableMammal/pseuds/VariableMammal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A distinguished member of the military has come to recruit Nick and Judy Wilde-Hopps for a very irregular mission. They must team up with an eclectic group of animals to carry out a dangerous task.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Zootopia: Sky Partners

-Zootopia Police Department Headquarters, 9:00 AM-  
  
  
    "Heya Skip," Nick Wilde-Hopps greeted the arctic hare Technical Officer as he approached her workstation. "How's it going?"  
  
    "It's going fine... what do you want...?" Karen Skippel drew out in a feigned annoyed manner. She had a small grin on. Nick pulled out his phone.  
  
    "Was just going around showing a few new pictures of my little tyke," Nick grinned, viewing a few pictures of his adopted son on his phone.  
  
    "Oh, is  _that_ why I heard Clawhauser make that ear-splitting shriek a few minutes ago?" Karen quipped. They both chuckled. "The 'proud father' look kinda suits you, Mr. Wilde-Hopps."  
  
    "So, you wanna see?" Nick continued. "I have to warn you though, they're really adorable...!"  
  
    "If I said no, you'd still show them to me, wouldn't you?" Karen spun around in her chair, folding her arms, her face a challenging smirk.  
  
    "Of course not!" Nick feigned shock, holding the phone to his chest defensively. "You could be seriously hurt from all this cuteness if you weren't ready!"  
  
    Karen had a trying look on her face. "Fine... show me the pictures." She shook her head. Nick showed off several pictures he'd taken of the gray squirrel. In them the young boy looked bright, happy, and in a lot of them, exuberant.  
  
    "Wow, Larry looks like quite a handful," Karen said, her face barely disguising adoration.  
  
    "Two handfuls, usually, especially for Judy," Nick smiled with pride. "He is a squirrel, after all. But thankfully for us, he channels most of his energy into being a lovable little scoop of fluff."  
  
    "You two are pretty lucky-" Karen started, but was interrupted by an unusual sight, her blue eyes widening. Nick looked over his shoulder to follow her gaze. They saw a distinguished, rather elderly looking dingo walking along, heading to Chief Bogo's office. He was wearing a burgundy overcoat and hat, and looked highly decorated.  
  
    "Who was _that_?" Nick wondered with his eyes fully open. He had only started talking several seconds after the dingo was fully out of sight.  
  
    "I don't know," Karen murmured, her voice equally impressed, "but he looks way too important to be HERE..."  
  
    "So how's things going with that snow leopard?" Nick turned back to her, grinning slyly. Karen flinched, her ears heating up.  
  
    "Nick! Unlike you, I don't like gossiping at the office!" Her shoulders scrunched a bit and her tone was a harsh whisper.  
  
    "From that I take it it's still going well, then," Nick's smirk remained. Karen looked around, but then nodded slightly shyly. "Well, that's all I needed to know."  
  
    "Wilde-Hopps! Both of you!" Chief Bogo's voice boomed, making Nick flinch this time. "My office!"  
  
    "Great, what did we do THIS time?" Nick grumbled.

 

* * *

  
-Zootopia Police Department Headquarters, Chief Bogo's Office 9:10 AM-  
  
  
    Nick and Judy stopped in the office. Nick was surprised to see the militarily decorated dingo there, whereas Judy was just surprised to see him in the first place. The dingo's expression was reserved and dignified, his hands behind his back. His face had begun to sag a bit with age, but he still looked pristinely arranged. He was just about Nick's height. Chief Bogo had his hands together on his desk, looking grim. He gave a huff.  
  
    "Wilde-Hopps," he began, "this is General Pepper of the Cornerian Air Force."  
  
    "Corneria?" Nick's voice was disbelieving. "That's the seat of military power of the whole country!" Judy marveled, a hand to her chin.  
  
    General Pepper nodded. "Officers Wilde-Hopps, we need your help! The city of Corneria is under attack. You may have seen reports in the news about this?" Nick and Judy's eyes went wide at his voice. It had almost a gentleness to it along with its bold forcefullness, wavering as if he might cry at any time.  
  
    "Some sort of giant airship with a bunch of other smaller craft?" Judy nodded. "It's laying siege to the city?"  
  
    "That is correct," General Pepper nodded. "Our army alone can't do the job, and our air force has been woefully underfunded as of late."  
  
    "Okay but, uh," Judy stammered. "Nick and I are just police officers..."  
  
    "Yes, 'just' police officers," Chief Bogo snorted. "You know you two have hit way above your pay grade many, many times, closing cases and pulling off stunts that would make secret agents jealous. I know you two have just held back because you have a family now. I can respect that, but this is important."  
  
    "I cannot reveal the details of the mission until we are in a classified area, but it will be a dangerous mission," General Pepper went on. "However, I will say your unique experiences have been what suggested your help to us. Particularly your experience with the Pawaiians."  
  
    "P-pawaiians?" Nick blinked. "I think the rumors about us are getting a bit out of hand..."  
  
    "We visited Pawaii _once_ , on our honeymoon!" Judy explained.  
  
    "And I know a little reptilian, because we have a leopard gecko next-door neighbor," Nick went on.  
  
    "Nonetheless," General Pepper declared, "that is more experience than most animals in this country. We are not demanding your assistance, but every day this siege continues, more of Corneria is destroyed. Our resources and staff devoted to this are wearing thin. We do not know what will happen if Corneria falls. Please, Officers Wilde-Hopps, will you help us?"  
  
    Nick and Judy looked at each other. Both were rather disbelieving that they had been put in such a position.  
  
    "Guess we'll need to leave Larry off at mom's place, huh?" Nick shrugged, feeling the weight of responsibility start to buckle his fears.  
  
    "For a few days," Judy nodded with determination.

 

* * *

  
-Secret Air Base 64, Briefing Room, 12:00 PM-  
  
  
    The next day, Nick and Judy were ushered into a classified area. They felt in way over their heads as they were passed through security, given instructions, and headed through rooms and corridors. The technology in some of the rooms appeared to far outstrip what they had in the ZPD. The rooms were dimly lit with blue neon view-screens filled with information and busy mammals working on them ceaselessly. Nick wondered if even Karen Skippel might be out of her element here.  
  
    The two found themselves in the briefing room, wearing different uniforms. Judy took a second look at what they were wearing while waiting for General Pepper to arrive. They were wearing firm, silvery-white jackets, decorated with the Cornerian Air Force's logos. Judy had on a purple jumpsuit that very nearly matched her eyes, and Nick's was lime green. They were also wearing silvery-white heavy boots that fit very tightly around their legs. Both felt quite uncomfortable in them.  
  
    "Wow, is this really what the air force wears?" Nick chuckled. General Pepper appeared in the doorway at that moment.  
  
    "No, but it is the uniform of the specialized team I'm assigning to you," he said, wandering into the room. "Now, we may reveal the nature of the threat looming above Corneria." General Pepper activated the large monitor on the wall. Nick and Judy blinked at the mugshot shown.  
  
    "This, is 'King' Bowser Koopa," General Pepper began, nodding to the image. It was a giant, intimidating-looking Galapagos tortoise. He looked like he might be six feet tall and weigh hundreds of pounds. In addition to his natural intimidation, Bowser had on a bright red feathered headdress and had flesh-colored paint around his tortoise mouth, and metallic spiked decorations seemingly welded onto his already rough-looking shell. His expression was of a severe sort of pleased certainty about himself.  "A Pawaiian dignitary. After the Snapper Period of Pawaiian history, self-proclaimed 'King' Koopa tried to assert power and rise up with disgruntled other larger reptiles, mostly turtles and tortoises. He was banished. But we think he might have sought refuge in St. Canard and collected enough money and sympathizers to raise a small army, which he's now using to terrorize the Cornerian skies."  
  
    "Why is he attacking OUR country?" Nick wondered.  
  
    "A show of force of reptilian might, we believe," General Pepper sighed. "We think he's trying to incite other large reptiles in Pawaii into a rebellion. Pawaii could become militarized if they sunk their resources from tourism into weapons. It could cause all-out war between our nations, so he must be stopped."  
  
    "How do we fit into all of this?" Judy was curious. General Pepper nodded and changed the slides, showing a rough schematic of the enormous airship that currently hung over Corneria. It was labeled "Doomship".  
  
    "As I have said, our air force is perhaps the weakest of the links of our military," General Pepper grumbled. "King Koopa's forces have stymied all of our anti-air efforts. We need a small team to punch through the airspace and board the ship, take control of the bridge, and if possible defeat King Koopa in the process."  
  
    "Oh! Is that all?" Judy said in a small, wavering voice.  
  
    "We don't know how to fly aircraft...!" Nick was incredulous.  
  
    "It will be a dangerous mission, yes," General Pepper said gravely. "However, your dossiers are full of your heroic, brave acts. I'm surprised you have not been recruited for work much more important than the ZPD already. Of course, we do not expect you to fly aircraft. That will be the job of my team." He motioned toward the door. Four varied animals poured in. Nick and Judy were both baffled as they took their places. They all had similar uniforms to Nick and Judy, but were also all wearing small red neckerchiefs. A gray fox moved in first, wearing a dark green jumpsuit, putting his hands on his hips. He was followed by a cassowary, wearing orange, who folded his feathery arms. A bunny was next, holding his arms behind his back, his suit the same color as their neckerchiefs. And finally, there was a golliath frog, wearing blue, his arms to his sides. Nick and Judy's gaze fixed on him; they had never seen an amphibian before.  
  
    "Who are  _these_ guys...?" Judy asked in astonishment.  
  
    "We're Sky Fox!" The gray fox proclaimed in a determined voice, nodding. "I'm Fox McCloud, the leader of this team." He was somewhere in between Nick and Judy's height, with a firm but somehow kind looking face. As a gray fox, his primary coat coloring was a bold mottled gray, with a handsome bit of white masking on his face, and patches of copper fur on his limbs and neck. Judy thought he looked quite attractive, but she wondered if that was just because she had a biased affinity for foxes.  
  
    "This is Falco Lombardi, our best pilot," Fox said, nodding to the cassowary. By far the largest member of Sky Fox, a foot taller than Nick, Falco was an intense, frightening looking bird. His head was a vivid blue with a red streak on the back of his neck, and he had an intimidating, bony-looking crest that connected into his beak. The arm feathers that were visible were solid black. Falco nodded, his expression unchanging, lifting two of his feathery fingers off of his folded arms in the barest of greetings.  
  
    "Next, we have Peppy Hare, my father's most trusted wing-man, may he rest in peace," Fox indicated the rabbit. Judy had to do a double take. Except for his slightly wider arrangement, the larger cream face masking standing out against his brown fur, and his more prominent front teeth, Peppy reminded her a lot of her own father. She tilted her head quizzically. Peppy gave a small, polite bow of his head.  
  
    "Last but not least, Slippy Toad, a brilliant engineer and trusted friend," Fox looked over at the goliath frog. Despite the name, he was only about a foot tall. His color was primarily greenish-brown, with a yellowish underbelly. His jumpsuit flared out at his pants for his exceptionally strong-looking hips and legs. Nick wondered if he wasn't perhaps female. Slippy waved in a friendly manner.  
  
    "Ah, Judy and Nick Wilde-Hopps, ZPD," Judy said, feeling quite out of her league.  
  
    "These four are our best pilots," General Pepper explained. "We have four prototype ships for them to pilot and punch you in close to the airship so you may board it."  
  
    "Your stun guns are too infrequent for a mission like this," Slippy held a finger up. Both Judy and Nick were surprised at how light, youthful, and high-pitched his voice sounded. Fox and Peppy stepped forward, offering them their own sleek-looking black guns that Nick and Judy already had holsters for on their belts. "I invented these blasters for the Cornerian military. They have yet to be put into mass-production. They can fire several dozen non-fatal kinetic energy shots on one battery clip. Or, you can hold down the trigger to use more of the battery to shoot a bigger, more powerful blast."  
  
    Judy examined the blaster in wonder, and Nick stared at Slippy in mild disbelief.  
  
    "I'm sorry if this is rude, but how old are you, again?" Nick wondered, holstering Fox's blaster.  
  
    "Ugh, it's my voice, isn't it?" Slippy seemed irritated. "Everyone's always making fun of me; telling me I sound like a girl."  
  
    "No, why we make fun of you is because you can barely fly," Falco said in a standoffish, snide way, his voice having a big-city edge. Nick and Judy looked worried at this.  
  
    "Eh, don't listen to Falco," Fox waved a hand, "Slippy can fly rings around the rest of the Cornerian fleet, anyway. Even then, you'll be flying with Falco and I in the two double-seater Arwings we have. Slippy and Peppy will be covering us from the single-seaters."  
  
    "Arwings, huh?" Judy nodded, then looked at Peppy curiously. "Say, you wouldn't happen to hail from Bunnyburrow, would you?"  
  
    "Shore do!" Peppy laughed, his voice having a familiar accent. "Met Fox's father there as well. He'n I had big dreams of joining the Cornerian Air Force."  
  
    "Guess a fox and rabbit duo isn't as novel as we thought, huh, Judy?" Nick smirked.  
  
    "Listen, this banter is cute and all, but we need to get to the mission," Falco said impatiently, tapping his foot.  
  
    "Unfortunately, Lombardi is correct," General Pepper nodded. "You will be flying out at thirteen hundred hours tomorrow. Until then, we will be giving you a crash course in training and drills with the manuvers you'll need to perform, as well as a few hours of rest. I only hope we are not too late to save Corneria." He saluted. "Good luck!"

 

* * *

  
-En Route to the Arwing Hangar, 12:45 PM-  
  
  
    Nick and Judy found themselves running behind team Sky Fox as they all headed toward the hangar. Nick and Judy were behind the rest of the team; Judy respectfully kept back, but Nick was having a tough time keeping up. He couldn't believe he couldn't surpass a bunny that seemed three times as wide as Judy. Fox's running was focused and swift. Falco had broad, easy strides. Peppy's intense waddling looked almost comical, but he had a rabbit's swiftness. Slippy kept up almost effortlessly with powerful hops.  
  
    "So uh, is there a particular reason we're _running_?" Judy wondered as they went.  
  
    "Bit of a tradition of ours!" Peppy said, "Gets us all jazzed up for the mission! Gets yer blood pumping!"  
  
    "I'm glad I remembered to take those anti-nausea pills," Nick grumbled as he ran.  
  
    "Relax, Nick," Falco said easily, "The G-diffuser technology in these Arwings makes even the toughest stunts a piece of cake on our bodies. And even if it starts to get to you, our boots will keep blood out of your legs and into your dinky little brain."  
  
    "Glad we're on a first name basis already!" Nick remarked.  
  
    "Well, there's two 'Wilde-Hopps' on this mission and we already have a Fox," Fox smirked as he ran.  
  
    "A fox named Fox," Nick shook his head.  
  
    "Don't you guys have a gazelle pop star named Gazelle in Zootopia?" Slippy questioned.  
  
    "Well, I  _think_ that's a stage name?" Judy explained. "But, fair point."  
  
    All six of them entered the hangar. The four Arwings there were striking, angular white ships. They had diamond shaped bodies with top-opening canopies near the back of them, and swept-back, angular wings. Intersecting the wings were two slightly downward facing blue diamond shapes which contained the engines on the back and weapons systems on the front. The two Arwings in the middle had slightly larger canopies.  
  
    "Okay, Judy, you're with me, Falco, you've got Nick," Fox gestured to the relevant animals. The canopies started to pop open. Slippy was the first in, and Nick blinked at the incredible leap he made directly into the cockpit. Judy was a bit impressed with the middle-aged Peppy's spry leap up onto the wing, then into the cockpit. Fox nimbly jumped onto the nose of the ship near the cockpit and used his hands to propel himself into it. Falco crouched down and did a powerful spring, twirling around once in the air, and landing directly into his seat. Judy jumped near the engine pod, using her arms to lightly skip towards her seat. Nick's jump was a bit less graceful, and he scrambled into his seat.  
  
    "Good job," Falco quipped, getting the ship up and running. Nick shook his head in irritation and placed a headset that he'd need for mission communications on his ears. He shot a worried glance over to Judy, who was doing the same thing. She gave an anxious wave with her teeth showing. At least it wasn't only him, he thought.  
  
    "Alright everyone, systems check. Check your G-diffuser systems," Fox said, switching on a bunch of controls. Judy was amazed how quickly his paws moved.  
    "Slippy here, everything's green!"  
    "This is Peppy, all systems go!"  
    "Falco here, we're fine."  
  
    The Arwings engines started to whine as they powered up. Nick's teeth were tight together in anxiety. Fox grit his teeth in a grin.  
  
    "Okay boys! Let's rock n' roll!"  
  
    One by one the ships moved forward and out of the hanger, boosting into the air.

 

* * *

  
-Airspace Above Corneria, 1:00 PM-  
  
  
    Judy took in the embattled sky above Corneria's impressive and once-clean city skyline. An enormous airship with a garish green color scheme with yellow and red trimmings was hovering over it, moving extremely slowly, held aloft by massive, fiery looking thrusters. It was intermittently shooting black, bullet-shaped missiles into the buildings, or at circling Cornerian planes. Judy counted at least two dozen movable turrets on the airship. Nick's expression was dire; he wondered how they got themselves into this situation in the first place.  
  
    "We're entering Corneria city airspace," Fox said over the radio. "Open the wings!" With a whirr, the wings of the Arwings opened outward, slowing their speed down, but allowing for more maneuverability. Several small green and red ships flew out to meet the arwings, but with a flurry of greenish blaster fire, the ships were shot down, and the arwings drew closer to the airship.  
  
    "These things are packing!" Nick said, impressed.  
  
    "Similar technology to the blasters, on a larger scale!" Slippy returned.  
  
    "Shoot, they've noticed us!" Peppy grunted. Seven highly stylized and maneuverable-looking smaller airships, each one flying flags of a different color, launched from the deck of the main airship.  
  
    "It's Bowser's best wing-men, the Koopalings!" Fox grimaced. "Break off, we have to thin them out to get Nick and Judy to the deck!" The Arwings prepared to scatter.  
  
    "Seven ships against four?" Judy felt a shot of fear.  
  
    "Ma'am, you haven't seen Sky Fox fly!" Peppy shouted boldly. The ships broke off, deftly swerving to avoid the small cloud of marked airships before coming around, challenging them with blaster bolts. The Koopaling's airships avoided the shots, attempting to tail Sky Fox's Arwings.  
  
    "Woah, someone help me! There's a bogey on my tail!" Slippy had gotten the lime-green marked ship on his six, and was having a hard time shaking him. He tilted the ship to avoid a missile. Nick didn't remember if Slippy had a tail or not.  
  
    "That frog...!" Falco spat in annoyance. "I think this one is Iggy, actually." He quipped smugly, turning impossibly tightly to bank off from his own pursuers and get his ship behind Iggy's. Falco fired two bursts of blaster fire, one volley nearly scraping Slippy's wing, and flew so close to Iggy's ship that Nick could swear he could see a deranged turtle face wearing what looked like a sprout of grass on his head before he ejected. The airship burst into flames and fell to the ground.  
  
    "Yikes!" Nick yelped in fright. "That was cutting it a bit close, don't you think?"  
  
    "Jeez Louise, you're as bad as the other fox," Falco muttered.  
  
    "Thanks, Falco!" Slippy said over the radio. "I thought they had me."  
  
    Peppy took his ship into a steep climb to outmaneuver the light blue-marked ship that was tailing him, and brought the ship fully back around behind the small airship.  
  
    "Yeeee-ha!" Peppy exulted, firing his blasters. The ship's cyan-shelled occupant ejected as it was disabled. "That's one down!"  
  
    "Fox, ahead, there's two of them!" Judy shouted. "It looks like they're trying to collide with us!" The silver and purple marked airships looked like they were on a collision course, trying to sandwich Fox's Arwing so there would be no escape. Fox grit his teeth.  
  
    "Do a barrel roll!" Peppy suggested.  
  
    Fox took his Arwing into a tight, spinning roll, narrowly avoiding the two ships as they crashed into each other. Judy yelped out in both exhilaration and fear as the stunt was completed.  
  
    "These guys are _crazy_!" Judy wailed, looking back and seeing two burly tortoises ejecting, their shells painted gray and purple, respectively.  
  
    "I've got a clear shot to the deck, I'll take you in as close as I can! You ready, Judy?" Fox asked her.  
  
    "As I'll ever be!" Judy steeled herself.  
  
     _"JUMP!"_  
  
    The canopy popped open and Judy leaped out of the side. She was further up than she imagined she would be, so she completed a forward flip and landed down on one knee to brace the shock. She lifted her head up to judge her surroundings and whipped her blaster out into one hand, bending her elbow and pointing the weapon's barrel to the sky.  
  
    In that moment, she felt _so cool_.  
  
    "I'm on the deck, and it's secure!" Judy said, shooting a couple of turtles that were near her with its green blaster fire. They fell back onto their shells, spinning around slightly, unconscious but uninjured. "Falco...?"  
  
    "Workin' on it!" Falco yelled in annoyance, being doggedly tailed by the ship flying dark blue colors. "Crud! I just can't shake this guy!" A missile grazed Falco's cockpit, flying off into the main airship, sending turtles scattering. "Nick, we're goin' in hot! Get ready to unbuckle!"  
  
    "Uh, okay!?" Nick's voice cracked in worry.  
  
     _"NOW!"_  
  
    Falco popped the canopy open and inverted the Arwing. Nick yelled out but managed to right himself before he hit the deck, landing on all fours. Judy ducked as Falco's Arwing grazed the ship way too close for comfort as he broke off.  
  
    "Oww! I'm getting too old for this," Nick groaned, getting up and drawing his blaster, holding it with both hands.  
  
    "You're barely forty!" Judy chuckled.  
  
    "How many action heroes do you know of that are forty?" Nick shot back.  
  
    "Focus, guys!" Fox told them over the radio. "Get to the bridge!"  
  
    Nick and Judy headed over to the bridge of the ship, shooting turtles along the way. Startled technicians and turret operators started to throw tools at them, including hammers and wrenches. Judy nimbly dodged a few and shot one out of the air that was on its way to Nick. Nick flinched, and then yelped as he saw one of the turret operators trying to turn his turret around to face the _deck_. Nick pounced forward, sliding on his shoulder and side, shooting the turtle away from his perch just as he fired. The missile screamed into the bow further down and exploded.  
  
    "These guys  _are_ crazy!" Nick shouted. "Oww, I liked that shoulder." He got back up.  
  
    "We've made it to the bridge!" Judy said, both of them kicking the door open. "Let's go!"

 

* * *

  
-The Bridge of the Doomship, 1:12 PM-  
  
  
    King Bowser Koopa turned his head at hearing the blaster fire. He saw his bridge crew slump into forced unconsciousness. He just sneered. Both Nick and Judy were given pause; he was far more intimidating in person.  
  
    "<Well, well, looks like some fluffballs made it to the bridge,>" Bowser said in reptilian. "<How entertaining.>"  
  
    "<Surrender, Bowser!>" Nick shot back to him.  
  
    "<It's King Koopa to you, worm! And how about you make me?>" Bowser didn't even turn around, his intimidating spiked back showing to them.  
  
    "What's he saying?" Judy asked Nick.  
  
    "He told us to shoot him!" Nick said, doing so.  
  
    "Okay!" Judy agreed, shooting him as well. The shots just seemed to absorb or bounce off Bowser's back. All he did was hold up one of his hands to his eyes to shield his face.  
  
    "Gwa-ha-ha-ha! <That tickles.>" Bowser turned around, hoisting up an enormous green gun with a flame design on its barrel with both of his hands. Nick and Judy didn't wait to see how indicative the pattern was. They scattered across the bridge as Bowser fired flame balls from the gun, where the exploded on the bridge into smouldering puffs of fire. "<We like our food  _spicy_ in Pawaii! >" Judy shot Nick a panicked, questioning look as they barely managed to dodge the blasts.  
  
    "It's just banter!" Nick shook his head. "Our weapons aren't working...!"  
  
    "I can see that!" Judy snapped.  
  
    "Hold the trigger to charge your blaster!" Peppy reminded them. Judy flinched at the sudden advice, forgetting all about Sky Fox. When she looked again, Bowser was advancing upon her, readying his gun. Gritting her teeth, she charged up her blaster until it made a squelching sound.  
  
     _TSEW!_  
  
    The blast hit Bowser square in his midsection and sent him stumbling back, dropping his gun. His footsteps made loud crashing noises as he did. Bowser shook his head, but started to advance on Judy again, his tortoise mouth full of anger. He was almost upon her when-  
  
     _TSEW!_  
  
    The shot from Nick's blaster sent Bowser back even further, and he was backed up against the controls of the ship. He looked dazed, and a bit offended.  
  
    " <At this rate, you guys are going to get control of the ship. Well, you can't have it, it's mine!>" Bowser leered at them as they started to charge up their next shot. Crouching, he leaped up and crashed down onto the floor with all of his multi-hundred pound weight, and the whole bridge seemed to rock.  
  
     _TSEW! TSEW!_ The charged shots missed their marks as Nick and Judy lost both their footing and their grip on their weapons, hitting the ground.  
  
    Bowser started mashing on some controls of the ship, then turned around and drove his back-spikes into the controls, where they made high-pitched, electronic shrieks of protest. " <Only a moron goes down with the ship. See you furballs in another castle!>" Bowser headed off the bridge with a wide gait, presumably to an escape vessel. His large, crushing steps barely missed Nick and delayed his and Judy's regaining of their footing. They slid across the ground for their blasters and shot at Bowser, but they had no time to charge the shots and they did nothing to delay his escape.  
  
    "Okay okay okay," Judy said in worry, both of them getting up and rushing to the controls. "What's going on? It looks like he... set the ship's thrusters?"  
  
    "The ship is slowly accelerating and sinking!" Peppy noticed. "It's headed right for the heart of the city!"  
  
    "Most of the controls are trashed!" Nick panicked. "What do we do?"  
  
    "Is the steering column still viable?" Slippy asked them. "If so, pull it to the left until I say so!"  
  
    Judy reached for it and tugged; it barely moved. "Nick, help! It's bent but I think we can do it!" Nick lent his efforts and the airship slowly banked.  
  
    "Okay... STOP!" Slippy yelled. When they looked out the window again, the ship was now headed for the countryside, away from the city.  
  
    "Great!" Nick said in relief, then remembered they were on a sinking ship. "Now what...?"  
  
    "Get to the deck!" Fox replied. "We cleared out all the Koopalings; Falco and I will pick you up!"  
  
    Judy and Nick headed off of the bridge and saw turtles everywhere parachuting and helping the zapped turtles escape as well. Deep down, Judy was glad for this. They rushed onto the widest part of the deck and heard the shrieking of the Arwings.  
  
    "Use the air-brakes!" Peppy yelled. "Match the airship's speed!"  
  
    "Okay, _dad_!" Falco grumbled, pulling up near Judy on the port side. "I know how to fly a freakin' Arwing! Get in, bunny!" He popped the canopy.  
  
    "Urah!" Judy ran up alongside the Arwing and did a side flip, landing neatly in the seat.  
  
    "Woah-ho, niiice!" Falco smirked. "I take it you've done this before?" Judy chuckled, strapping in as the canopy fell.  
  
    "Hurry, Nick!" Fox jerked his head, popping open the canopy to his own Arwing. Nick channeled his inner vulpine spirit and leaped. Unfortunately, that spirit conjured up a leap that foxes used to capture prey dug in snow in ancient times, and he landed in the Arwing front-first. Fox chuckled at noticing this. "Comfy?"  
  
    "Let's just get out of here," Nick grumbled, righting himself as the canopy closed.  
  
    The four Arwings began to fly in formation. Judy looked back, cringing as she saw the airship crash into the countryside, quickly catching flames and causing an explosion.  
  
    "Mission complete!" Both Fox and Falco yelled simultaneously.  
  
    "We're heading out! All aircraft report!" Fox yelled cheerfully into the channel.  
  
    "Yahoo! Took a few hits, but I'm okay!" Peppy shouted.  
  
    "We did it! I was worried for a moment," Slippy offered meekly.  
  
    "We're just fine," Falco looked back for a thumbs up from Judy. "You doin' okay over there, Fox?"  
  
    "I'm doing great, but I think the other fox is looking a bit green," Fox smirked back at Nick, who was breathing a bit quicker. "We better get back before he throws up all over me."  
  
    Nick groaned weakly, nodding. Fox opened the channel, contacting General Pepper.  
  
    "This is Fox! Returning to base!"

 

* * *

  
-Secret Air Base 64, Briefing Room, 4:00 PM-  
  
  
    Nick and Judy smiled as General Pepper entered the room to debrief them. Team Sky Fox was also waiting behind them. Neither Nick or Judy was relaxed yet, but their bodies were finally no longer tingling with adrenaline. General Pepper headed to the head of the room, his hands behind his back.  
  
    "Officers Wilde-Hopps, we are in your debt," General Pepper said proudly and humbly, "we would be honored if you were to consider joining the Cornerian-"  
  
    "Oh no, sir," Nick held up his paw quickly to stop him, "with all due respect, I think this has been enough high-profile excitement for  _one_ lifetime."  
  
    "I  _think_ we're ready to just go back to being normal police officers," Judy agreed, her voice trembling in nervous amusement.  
  
    "I don't think that will be possible!" General Pepper smiled. "You two will always be exceptional, at whatever you do."  
  
    "I mean, I think we could have done better," Judy admitted. "Bowser got away, after all."  
  
    "You helped save Corneria from catastrophic damage," General Pepper shook his head. "You helped deplete King Koopa's resources. We highly doubt he has enough resources to attempt a stunt like this again. And even if he did, I have heard communications that two secret agents are being sent his way to track him down and stymie his efforts."  
  
    "I still feel like we were way out of our league," Nick noted. He and Judy started to remove their borrowed weapons from their belts.  
  
    "Eh, you did fine," Falco waved one of his hands dismissively.  
  
    "Mm, that is high praise," Nick smirked. "I'm not going to miss these boots, but it's a shame we can't keep these guns." Judy returned Peppy's, and Nick, Fox's.  
  
    "They are prototypes, still," Slippy said. "Very expensive. But maybe I can see if I can whip you guys up some ultra-customized stun guns sometime! I could make it a side project."  
  
    "That would be cool!" Judy seemed interested. "If you had enough spare time, that is."  
  
    "Fox and I still go to Bunnyburrow every year on the anniversary of James McCloud's passing," Peppy said, "maybe we'll let you know when we're around if you have the time to come visit."  
  
    "Oh, I might like that," Judy nodded, looking to Nick, who nodded.  
  
    "Maybe they can hire a few more team members for Sky Fox," Nick chuckled. "That way maybe you guys could do the ground ops next time and not leave some police officers to do the dirty work."  
  
    "Personally, I prefer the air," Falco said, his eyes turning away from them.  
  
    "I'm just glad we didn't end up wrecking any of the Arwings," Fox folded his arms. "Those four are still the only ones around. The cost to replace them would have been astronomical."  
  
    "Yes," General Pepper agreed, nodding. "That would have been one steep bill." He sighed. "But, it would be worth it."

 

* * *

  
-Nick and Judy's Aarvark Rise Apartment, 8:00 PM-  
  
  
    The fox and bunny trudged into their apartment, crashing back against their couch with pained groans.  
  
    "If I'm already  _this_ sore," Nick complained, "I don't want to know what I'll feel like tomorrow."  
  
    "Right?" Judy grumbled. "I still feel like I have adrenaline on tap."  
  
    "We'll have to go pick up Larry tomorrow," Nick nodded.  
  
    "We do have one night without him though," Judy narrowed her eyes. "Just you, me, and this  _whole_ apartment." She grinned impishly, and Nick met her gaze, his tail giving a swish. Suddenly though, Judy slumped over on her side, into Nicks lap, humming in comfort.  
  
    "Oh, the bunny flop," Nick smiled happily, "you must be really tired and comfy. We should get you to bed."  
  
    Judy yawned, stretching out her paws. "Fiiine, let's go."  
  
    "Prepare for takeoff, Sky Bunny," Nick said, scooping her up in his arms and heading toward their bedroom.  
  
    "I guess you'll have to get on my tail some other night," Judy winked.    


End file.
